Nightmares
by Xavfire
Summary: Following the events in Alamos Town, our heroes are on their way to Hearthome City. However, after being unable to save a person he loves, Ash can't seem to put his mind at ease. Pearlshipping, AADL, AADR, AshxDawn, SatoshixHikari.


Here's a Pearlshipping fanfic that I thought up recently. It's a oneshot although there's an opening for a sequel if I'll have an idea for one. Hmm... Maybe "Ash and Dawn alone in the night"? ;-) I'm currently working on an Advanceshipping fanfic as well although I think it'll be some time before I'll post it. Anyway I hope you'll enjoy this one. If there's anything you would like to say about this fanfic then go ahead. But beware: I do not answer to flames. Give me constructive criticism instead.

In case you're wondering this isn't my first fanfic. I actually wrote a few fanfics in the past but I've been writing quite irregularly. We'll see whether that changes or not. Personally I think the latter is more probable because there's a lot of things happening and sometimes I just don't feel like writing. But I hope you'll enjoy this fanfic.

**Nightmares**

It was a few days after Ash, Dawn and Brock left Alamos Town and were on their way to Hearthome City. They were currently camping on an edge of a nearby forest. Recently they were witnesses to one of the most amazing events in recent history and they even took active part in it. This event was a fight between Dialga and Palkia over Alamos Town. It was largely thanks to them that the town as well as the people and Pokemon who live in it were saved. This event was sure to leave our heroes with unforgettable memories. But it also left one of them with something more than just memories.

"Alright guys it's to train!" - Called a young trainer named Ash with his usual enthusiasm. - "After all when we get to Hearthome City we'll be getting our third badge!"

Ash is a Pokemon trainer who set his sights on his dream of becoming the Pokemon Master. To do that Ash competed in a number of different tournaments, the most important ones being the Pokemon League championships. For the last three years he's been traveling around the regions of Kanto, Johto and Hoenn. Recently he began his travels around the Sinnoh region.

All of Ash's Pokemon cheered together and that day's training session has began. Dawn and Brock were nearby taking care of the camp. Brock was cooking while Dawn was preparing a table for the dinner.

After some time Brock called: "Hey everyone! Dinner's ready!"

"Alright!" - Ash shouted as he run towards the table along with his Pokemon.

After the meal everyone was still sitting at the table after eating Brock's great food.

"Brock's food is amazing and to think both of you ate this way for the past few years." - Dawn said in a dreamy tone. She then looked at Ash who seemed to be deep in thought. - "Hey Ash, what're you thinking about?"

Ash looked at Dawn and then it happened. It always happened when he looked at her directly in the eyes. He tried to act normal.

"I've just realized there was something I wanted to do. I'll be right back!" With that he run towards the nearby forest and Dawn and Brock lost the sight of him.

"Pikapi!" - Pikachu called as it run after its trainer.

"What has happened to Ash? Lately he doesn't act like himself." - Dawn said with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I know. I'll try to talk to him about it later." - Brock answered surprised by Ash running off like that.

Dawn thought for a few seconds before saying:

"I'll go after him."

"But Dawn..." - Brock tried to stop her but she didn't listen and like Ash she disappeared into the forest.

Ash stopped running once he got far enough and leaned against a tree. He then positioned his right hand so that he could look at it. It was clutching into a fist and then opening before clutching again. It was obvious that Ash had developed a tic that made his hand do that. However he developed it only a few days ago. On That Day.

Flashback

Place: Alamos Town, Shinoh.

Time: That Day.

Ash, Dawn, Tonio and Alice were flying in a hot air balloon while the ferioucious three-way battle between Dialga, Palkia and Darkrai raged on. Suddenly Palkia launched an Aura Sphere at Dialgia which dodged it. The attack was blocked by Darkrai with Dark Pulse but the resulting blow has thrown Dawn's Piplup out of the basket.

"Piplup, no!" - Dawn shouted as it fell down.

"Staravia, let's go" - Ash called as he let Staravia out of its Pokeball.

Staravia quickly saved Piplup from the fall.

Then Dialgia fired Draco Meteor on Palkia which Darkrai partially blocked with Dark Pulse. A fracture of the attack however has damaged the basket which caused Dawn to fall from it.

"Dawn!" - Ash shouted as he quickly caught her hand.

To him this moment seemed like an entirety. He held onto Dawn's hand as he also tried to hold on to the Oración disc. Suddenly Palkia flew right next to the balloon causing wind to pick up which in turn started shaking the basket. Ash tried his best but Dawn's hand slipped from his and she fell. Ash felt as if the world had stopped. He was sure she was going to die and because of him not being able to hold on to her.

"Dawn!" - Ash cried as he watched her fall.

Miraculously though Dawn landed on one of many balconies which were the part of the staircase leading up to the control room of the Space-Time Tower.

End of the Flashback

Even though everything ended up well and they managed to save the entire town, Ash couldn't find true peace since that day. His tic acted up when he looked Dawn in the eyes and nightmares of what could have happened that day visited him every night. Every time he had them they felt more and more real to a point where Ash couldn't sleep for hours and when he finally did he was tormented in unimaginable ways. It create a wheel of pain that was sure to drive him mad if something wasn't done about it. Two things allowed him to live a quasi-normal existence: training and traveling.

Suddenly Ash heard something moving behind him. He looked and saw Pikachu.

"Pikapi." - Pikachu said as it reached its trainer. - "Pi-ka-chu?"

"No, Pikachu, I'm not alright." - Ash responded.

Ash knew there was no need of hiding this from Pikachu anymore. He decided to explain everything to his pal.

Meanwhile Dawn was a few trees away.

"_He's got to be around here somewhere."_ - She thought.

She stopped dead in her tracks as she heard Ash's voice. She listened carefully to pinpoint Ash's location. Having done so, she hid behind a nearby tree.

"...I was unable to save her, Pikachu." - Dawn heard Ash say.

"_Who's he talking about?"_ - Dawn thought.

"I mean she would have died if it wasn't for that balcony on which she fell." - Ash continued.

"Pi-ka..." - Pikachu said with a sad expression on its face.

"_Is he talking about me?"_ - She thought.

"I just can't cope with a thought that Dawn could have died there." - Ash said as a few tears dropped from his eyes before he continued. - "I don't think I've met anyone quite like her before. She's amazing. She's so fragile, so delicate yet so strong. She's lovely and beautiful but also courageous and caring."

Dawn blushed heavily as she heard Ash's words. She never knew that he thought of her like that. A warm feeling filled her as she thought more about what Ash just said.

"Pikapi, pi chu kachu pichu? (translation: Ash, do you love Dawn?)" - Pikachu asked.

Ash blushed as he understood what his buddy meant.

"Maybe... maybe I do..." - Ash said.

He sat there with Pikachu for a moment before standing up and saying:

"Well it's time to go back. Dawn and Brock must be getting worried."

Dawn snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Ash move. Fear of getting caught engulfed her and in panic she looked around for a place to hide. She decided to slowly move so that the tree would cover her from Ash walking by. She managed to stay undetected as Ash went towards the campsite with Pikachu on his shoulder. Dawn sighed in relief when she lost track of him.

"_It's a good thing I wasn't noticed."_ - She thought to herself and remembered what Ash said.

"Lovely, beautiful, caring..." - She mouthed inaudibly.

She never thought she had all those qualities. She never thought of herself as lovely. When she was little she was clumsy and was the laughing stock of her school. Perhaps that was what made her stronger and tougher. She knew that aside from her mother she could mostly count only on herself. She tried to be beautiful. She took careful care of her look everyday. Now too, even though she was traveling she would spent some time everyday taking care that she looked just right. This is the first time she heard a guy state that she was beautiful. Until now only her mother told her so. Dawn tried to be caring and she showed that when taking care of her Pokemon.

As she thought about this, she made her way to the campsite as well.

After Dawn returned, the group packed their things and continued their journey to Hearthome City. After a few hours of walking towards their goal, as the sun started to go down they set up camp for the night. When it got dark everybody was in their sleeping bags. Dawn as always slept in her tent. Ash tried his best to peacefully fall asleep hopping to have a normal dream again. But his nerves did not allow him to fall asleep for some time. When he finally did fall asleep he did not find peace he was looking for in his dreams.

Again he was in the basket when it became damaged. Everything seemed to happen in slow-motion. Ash grabbed Dawn's hand and tried to hold it but he couldn't even get a grip on it just as if he wasn't grabbing her hand at all.

"Help me Ash!" - Dawn cried.

He tried his best but it seemed that he just couldn't do it. Finally he could not reach her and could only watch as she fell. As she fell into a black void. As black as the hole in his heart.

Meanwhile in the real world Ash was talking loudly in his sleep. This woke up Brock and Dawn.

"What's going on?" - Dawn asked exiting her tent.

"It seems Ash's having a nightmare..." - Brock said but before he could say anything else they heard Ash talk in his sleep.

"Dawn... No... Don't leave..." - They heard him mumble.

"Pikapi..." - Pikachu said looking at his trainer.

Dawn walked over to Ash's sleeping bag, kneeled next to him and tried to wake him up.

"Ash." - She said softly - "I'm right here. Please wake up."

Ash started to wake up. As he opened his eyes he saw the worried Dawn looking at him. Not fully awake he mouthed "Dawn..." before suddenly hugging her, which caused her to blush heavily. She wasn't expecting this but after a moment of surprise she calmed down and slowly returned the hug. It seemed to her to be a natural thing to do in a situation like this. Her friend needed that hug and that's what friends are for: to help each other out. Besides she felt so much more for the young trainer who she was hugging. This reminded her of the time when they were falling for the stairway in Alamos Town and he held her close so that they wouldn't get separated.

Ash wasn't fully awake but he knew one thing: he was scared. As he was hugging her, inhaling the scent of her hair, listing to her breathing and feeling her delicate touch, he calmed down and was able to conquer his fear.

After this moment of previously unseen closeness and intimacy they pulled away at the same time as if struck by lighting. They looked at each other, both fully awake now and aware of what just happened. Both were experiencing new and unknown feelings. Suddenly they turned away from each other to hide their blushes.

Brock who saw the whole thing knew all too well what they went through. He himself went through something similar when he was younger. He knew though that they needed to take care of this themselves and all he could do was offer advise.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence everyone went back to sleep without ushering a single word.

The next morning everybody acted as if nothing had happened. One thing was different though: Ash for the first time in a few days slept peacefully. The nightmares that once haunted him disappeared just as suddenly as they appeared. Both Ash and Dawn had the same questions on their minds: "Was what happened last night a dream?" and "What is this feeling that I feel whenever I think about him/her.". It's ironic that the best way for them to answer those questions was to ask each other. However they were afraid of what the other one would say. So they decided not to bring up the matter and continued their journey to Hearthome City.

After walking for a few hours they reached a town and found the Pokemon Center. After leaving their Pokemon to have their checkups they each went to a different part of the building. Ash went with Brock while Dawn decided to make a phone call. Brock took this opportunity to talk to Ash.

"Ash do you want to talk?" - Brock asked in a serious tone.

"About what?" - Ash asked clueless as ever.

"About you and Dawn as well as what happened last night."

Ash didn't answer right away. He was confused and he didn't understand half of the things he felt when he thought of Dawn. Still Brock was older than him, he was the closest friend Ash ever had and he knew more about women than pretty much everybody Ash knew.

"Yeah, I think I need to talk with somebody about this. The last few days were weird for me and the last 12 hours were outright confusing." - Ash said with seriousness which he rarely shown.

Both made their way to the cafeteria. It was Brock's idea because as he said:

"It's always easier to talk over a cup of tea." They sat down and Brock decided to get to the point early on.

"Ash recently you seem to be having nightmares. What are those nightmares about?"

Ash took a moment to think before giving an answer.

"_Why does Brock ask about that? Is it really that important? Or is he just trying to start our conversation with an easy topic to allow us to talk more smoothly."_

Ash came to a conclusion that Brock wouldn't ask a question without a reason so Ash decided to go along with this.

"It's about what happened back in Alamos Town." - Ash started. - "During the battle between Palkia and Dialga. You couldn't see what happened because you were helping with the evacuation. Me, Dawn, Alice and Tonio were using the balloon to get to the control room of the Space-Time Tower. Suddenly Draco Meteor fired by Dialga hit the basket and Dawn started to fall out."

Ash stopped and hid his face behind the visor of his cap.

"I caught her hand but... I couldn't hold on." - Ash said as a single tear slipped unnoticed from his eye. - "I couldn't save her, Brock! The only reason she survived was because she fell onto a nearby balcony. If it wasn't for that Dawn would... she would..."

"Wow, Ash... You went through quite a lot." - Brock said legitimately surprised. - "Most people don't go through so much in their entire lives. It's no wonder you have nightmares. Everyone would if they went through the same thing as you did."

"That's not all..." - Ash interrupted Brock. - "Ever since that day... I had this thing going on with my right hand."

Ash showed Brock his hand. Like before it was clutching into a fist before opening and then clutching again. Brock didn't say anything as he was thinking about his next move.

"So that's why you were screaming Dawn's name last night." - Brock finally spoke.

"It was the same every time... Everything happened so slowly and yet I couldn't hold her hand just as if it wasn't there. All I could do was watch how Dawn was falling into darkness."

"Can you describe what happened last night?" - Brock pursued the topic.

Ash didn't answer. He was trying to recall what he felt in that moment.

"I was watching Dawn fall and as I was screaming to her I suddenly heard her voice say: "Ash... I'm right here... Please wake up..." and I woke up. As I opened my eyes I saw her face. That beautiful face looking at me with worry. I was so happy to see her near me that I did the first thing that came to my mind while I was still semi-unconscious: I hugged her. At moment I felt that I needed to have her in arms. And then she returned the hug and I just wanted for this moment to continue. I didn't feel that calm in days. I felt as if there was nothing that could go wrong now that I've got her secure in my arms. And then I became fully awake and pulled away, embarrassed. I never felt like this about anybody."

"What do you feel when you think of her?" - Brock asked.

"I feel... very protective of her. It's not just that her mother depends on both of us to take care of her while we're traveling. It's as if she's the most precious thing in the world for me. I... I would do anything to protect her. Anything as long as I know that she's safe."

Brock didn't answer anything. While it's true that he expected something like this he was still surprised at how mature Ash's feelings were.

"I think you should talk to Dawn about this. This is very important for both of you." - Brock said.

"But... I can't! what if she just laughs at me for worrying so much and leaves me hanging?"

"Do you truly believe she would do that after what happened last night? Would she return you hug if that's how she felt about the whole situation?"

Ash didn't have the time to answer as he saw Dawn entering the cafeteria. He knew that his talk with Brock was over. He drank his tea while waiting for Dawn to reach their table.

"There you guys are!" - Dawn said cheerfully. - "I've been looking all over for you two. What're you doing?"

"We were just talking." - Brock quickly answered.

The sudden groan of Ash's stomach stopped the conversation from going any further. Both Brock and Dawn laughed and Brock suggested that they should get something to eat.

After their meal Brock decided it was best if he left Ash and Dawn alone for a while.

"Ok guys, I'll go replenish our supplies at the Poke Mart. I won't be gone for long." - Brock said.

"Well I actually I wanted to explore the town. I've heard that it's quite marvelous." - Dawn said before turning to face Ash. - "Ash, do you want come with me?"

Ash did not answer. Normally he would say that he needed to do some training with his Pokemon but this time it was different. He looked at Brock trying to sense what he thought Ash should do. Brock winked to him which Ash interpreted as "Go for it!".

"Alright." - Ash said.

They all went outside the Pokemon Center and split up. Ash and Dawn made their way through the town admiring its unique architecture. Suddenly they saw an ice cream stand.

"Look Ash!" - Dawn said exited. - "Let's get some ice cream."

"I don't know Dawn." - Ash said not knowing what to do.

"Oh come on!" - Dawn said grabbing a hold of Ash's hand and leading him to the ice cream stand. - "It's a hot day and we're here to enjoy ourselfs."

There was no stopping Dawn so Ash decided to play along. After they got their ice cream they continued exploring the town.

"Let's go this way." - Dawn said pointing towards a park of some sort.

"Why there?" - Ash asked out of curiosity.

"This town's located on a plateau and I've heard there's great view of the surrounding plains from here." - Dawn said - "And it just so happens that the park over there also serves as an overlook."

They went to the park which was rather small since its primary function was serving as an overlook. They found a bench, sat down and admired the view before them.

"So Dawn how is your double performance coming along?" - Ash asked.

"I'm working on it, although I still have trouble looking for a right combination." - Dawn said looking depressed - "I mean, all of my combinations so far have ended up badly."

"But you've got the right ideas. All you need to do is practice." - Ash said trying to cheer Dawn up. "The ice-aqua jet is a really cool concept and I would love to see it in action after you've perfected it!"

"Ash... Do you really mean it?" - Dawn asked.

"Only you with your vivid imagination could have come up with something like that." - Ash said while putting his right hand on her left shoulder. - "No need to worry, right?"

Ash's tic became activate again and he tightened his grip on Dawn's shoulder. She blushed and took Ash's right hand in hers as if she could read Ash's mind. He felt a warm feeling spread through his body as she held his hand. His hand eased.

"Thank you Ash, for all the support you've gave me. It really means a lot."

They stood there hand in hand while looking each other in the eyes. Their faces moved closer and closer together.

Suddenly Ash's head started to ache horribly. So much that he would scream if he could but instead he started to lose consciousness. He fell on the ground. The last thing he remembered seeing was Dawn's worried face.

"What wrong Ash?" - She asked.

He wanted to answer but he couldn't. All he could do was listen to her worried voice saying his name over and over: "Ash! _Ash! Ash..._" as the world around him became dark.

He opened his eyes and he realized that he was _there _again. Before he could anything the world around him shook. He realized that it's the Draco Meteor hitting the basket. He looked to his side only to find Dawn falling.

"Dawn!" - he screamed as he once again tried catch her hand but he couldn't hold it. Eventually she was out of his reach.

"Dawn!" - he screamed in desperation.

Then he realized what he has to do, what he should do back then. He jumped out of the basket. As he was falling he caught Dawn and positioned himself so that his body would protect her from the fall.

"Why?" - She asked.

"Dawn, I'll always protect you, because I love you."

While Ash was saving Dawn in his mind, the real Dawn checked Ash's breathing. She determined that Ash was okay except he was unconscious. She decided that she would wait a few minutes for him to wake up and if he didn't she would get help. She laid him down on the bench on which they were sitting a minute ago. She sat down and placed his head on her lap.

She could feel his every movement, his irregular breathing, the twitching of his muscles. This was the closest they've been since last night.

"_Last night..."_ - she thought.

She was thinking a lot about what happened last night. How Ash was having nightmares and was whispering her name. And how he hugged her when she woke him up. They've been traveling together for a few mouths now and in that timespan Dawn has developed feelings for Ash. It's no surprising given that fact that they spent pretty much all their time together. Brock was there too but he was much older and was more of a mentor. The other males around her age consisted entire of Paul and Kenny. Paul was a big no-no from the start because of his attitude, the way he treated his Pokemon and the way he ignored Dawn. Not that he didn't do the same to Ash. All the attention Ash's ever gotten from Paul was when he agreed to battle him or when he had something mean to say about Ash's skills as a trainer. Kenny on the other hand was more of a colleague from school than anything else. She liked him but his constant reminding her of various embarrassments she had to endure as a child made her dislike their reunions which happened quite frequently due to both of them being coordinators.

Then there was the matter of what happened back in Alamos Town. When the basket was hit by the Draco Meteor she began to fall out. Ash caught her hand and held the Oración disc at the same time. He risked falling out himself or dropping the vital disc. He risked the life of both himself and everyone in the Town, for her. The reversed situation happened later when Ash fell from a disappearing stairway. Although this time Dawn was risking her life for him and for the Town. When she eventually fell he held her close in order for them to not get separated. Dawn blushed at a sheer memory of that moment as well as of what Ash said about her back in the forest.

"Dawn..." - Ash mumbled which instantly brought her back to the real world.

"Ash?" - She asked. She didn't knew whether he was asleep or not.

"Dawn..." - He repeated. - "I'll always protect you, because I love you."

In that instant the world around Dawn stopped. She was completely speechless. At first she thought that maybe she imagined it. Maybe she's dreaming herself. Maybe they're at the Pokemon Center, sleeping. She decided to check and pinched herself.

"Au!" - She groaned. - "That hurts. But I'm still here so..."

She looked at Ash who was starting to wake up. Dawn was trying to decide what to do.

"_They say that people are sincerest in their dreams..."_ - she thought - _"So maybe Ash really does feel this way about me..."_

Ash slowly woke up and blushed as he realized that his head was resting on Dawn's lap. He quickly sat up. He looked at Dawn and then he realized that something big happened. The expression on her face was serious, nervous, scared and determent at the same time. As he looked in her eyes he started to understand.

"Did I lost consciousness?" - Ash asked and Dawn nodded.

"Ash..." - Dawn started. - "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?" - Ash asked.

"Well..."- Dawn said nervously - "What you said earlier..."

Ash stayed silent for a moment before he carefully asked:

"What did I say?"

Dawn didn't answer right away. He could see that she was extremely nervous.

"Y... You said... that... you will protect me..." - Dawn said slowly as Ash blushed heavily. - "because..."

She couldn't finish. Try as hard as she could, the words just couldn't leave her mouth. Ash already knew what she was about to say and decided to help her out.

"Because.. "- Ash said moving closer to Dawn. - "I love you?"

Dawn blushed as she heard those words again. Repeated by, this time fully awake, Ash.

"Ash I had those feelings for a while now and it wasn't until last night that realized what they were." - Dawn said with newfound courage - "Ash, I want to tell you that... I love you too."

With that she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. Ash was surprised at first but soon returned the kiss as he wrapped his hands around her waist. Neither Ash or Dawn were particularly skilled when it came to kissing so they followed their instinct. As the two of them were kissing they felt a pleasant warmth spreading through their bodies as if the kiss was generating it. After some time they pulled away to breathe. They both looked at each other in the eyes, smiling. They both still felt the warmth of the kiss in their mouths as well as the distinct taste of each other's lips. They haven't felt so alive since the events in Alamos Town.

"Now that we've got each other, no nightmares will defeat us." - Ash said sinking in her beautiful blue eyes.

"I'll be there for you." - Dawn said and pulled Ash in for another kiss.

Sometime later they decided to come back to the Pokemon Center as the sun was disappearing behind the horizon.

"So how will we tell everybody about us?" - Dawn asked.

"I don't know and it doesn't matter as long as we're together" - Ash answered.

And so they slowly walked towards the Pokemon Center, hand in hand.

So I hope you enjoyed this fanfic. As I already said: feel free to review but don't flame. If you have a negative opinion then give me constructive criticism so I can improve my future fanfics. I'll keep working on the Advanceshipping fanfic (it's a quite big project as it includes an all new setting and a bunch of OCs) and thinking up new ideas.


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